The urinary system is made up by the kidneys, the bladder, and the urethra; its main function is to extract waste substances and water from the blood. The extracted substances which form the urine such as electrolytes (Na, K, Cl, HCO3) and the products generated by the metabolic degradation of the proteins, such as urea, creatinine, sulphates, and phosphates, are transported by the ureters to temporary storage in the bladder, which has 400 to 500 ml of capacity.
The urine sample collection includes a series of steps that are performed to obtain a sample of it for a micro-biological analysis or any other type of test, the same way can contribute to the diagnosis determination and treatment or can serve to confirm the effectiveness of a particular medical treatment.
There are quantitative analysis that are carried out on samples representing excretions of urine over a 24-hour period; for this, it is necessary to start a collection after the first urination of the day preferably from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. of the following day by using the proper technique.
Generally, the urine samples obtained at the patient's home are not properly collected, so the results are not completely reliable, and even more, if the patient is dependent, as an older adult or person with some kind of different ability or motor problem.
Therefore, in recent years a series of technologies has been developed that allows to improve the taking of urine samples for these patients, regardless of whether the sample is collected at home, resting residence, or hospital, however these technologies are based only on the urine collection for the convenience of the dependent patient and his caregiver, however they do not provide a means so that the urine can be stored and then later analyzed.
An example of these technologies is the Chinese Patent No. CN201350148Y, which describes a combined leak proof urine collector, which is manufactured through a combination of a paper diaper, a urine collection body, and a urine collection bag; the part of the head of the collector body is machined to be matched with the shape of the human body, and the rear end of the body is connected to a urine bag. A collector hole is located at the base of the paper diaper; by the use of connection pieces, the parts used for the fixing seat of the paper diaper are connected to the head part of the urine collector, the part of the seat of the paper diaper surrounds the outside of the head part of the urine collector body, and it is connected with the part of the head of the urine collector body so that the part of the head of the urine collector body is fixed on the outside of the human body through the paper diaper.
Both the Korean application KR20070080196, the Spanish utility model number ES1032931U, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,348 provide diapers for adults, which although they do not apply specifically for the urine collection specifically for the taking of medical samples, due to its technical relevance are being cited within this patent application in order to have a broader vision of the State of the art related to the technical field, so below.
The detailed technology in the document KR20070080196 focuses on reducing the environmental pollution and allows the patient, who has urinary incontinence or diseases, to use in an economical way since the urine is discharged directly, maintaining the comfort even when it is repeatedly used. The adult diaper includes: a collection body with a shape of a container which has a space formed inside and an opening hole formed in a top portion by a cut, and has a fixed hose attached to lower portion and extended towards the outside. It also includes a primary detachable member on the lower portion; and a main body formed by a pad or a panty form, that has a detachable secondary member located on the top portion for the connection with the primary detachable member of the collection body.
Another related document is the ES1032931U which includes a diaper with a collection bag to collect the feces, an independent exit for the urine, and a hole that provides passage to the progenitor organs, also is claimed a female urine collector, made of latex, with semi-spherical shape and self-adhesive opening which should be placed in the labia of the women and which is provided with a discharge tube for the urine.
In the same way the U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,348 discloses a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper, which has a top layer, a rear layer, and a middle nucleus; attached to the surface and oriented away from the top layer is located a spacer ejector. The spacer receives and collects the fecal material and the urine from the user. The spacer can be extracted from the diaper, or can be articulated in relation to the diaper. When the spacer is expelled from the diaper, the fecal material and urine can be easily thrown in the toilet, and not discarded in a regular trash can, where it represents a health hazard.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,734B1, discloses a diaper with a primary component that is formed by a flexible sheet that has a periphery and a central opening, an exterior receiving area, and an interior surface with an adhesive to be detachable attached to a user with the central opening about the same, the recipient has a chamber and an opening to receive and collect the fecal material and the urine, and an intermediate element has a separable closure to independently connect the container with the primary component.
In the same way, the US2002091364A1 patent application, provides an external urine draining system suspended that includes a barrier to liquids with a peripheral connected to a collector and a tubular cross-section, which surrounds the barrier. A plurality of capillary tubes pass through a wall of the collector. Each of the plurality of capillaries tubes has an entrance adjacent to the liquid barrier and a capillary discharge exit inside the collector, every capillary tube is covered by a soft lining. Discharge tubes connected to the collector carry urine to a bag of holding.
In addition, the US2011276020A1 application discloses an improved article for the treatment of body fluid in order to ensure that body fluids do not escape particularly when the user's body weight is exerted on it or there are posture changes, also includes a clothing article that includes the same. The article for the treatment of body fluid is attached to a diaper that features a coating on the body side and a backing sheet before the diaper, forming an opening that extends in a direction of the thickness of them. A liquid absorbent core or a liquid absorbent structure is added with a liquid guide opening that extends through the same to be centrally aligned with the opening. The opening of the container is exposed on the side which is oriented towards the body of the user through the liquid guide opening and in front of the external genitals of the user.
The international application number WO2015043400A1 discloses a diaper with a urine collection device, provided with an opening for the installation of a urine collection device in a position corresponding to the organ of urination of the human body; the diaper is equipped with a fixation component that is placed surrounding the part of the waist and the opening of the diaper in order to adjust the position of the urine collection device, while tied to the waist part of the diaper. When using the diaper with the urine collection device, a patient can conveniently adjust the position of the urine collection device, while tying the diaper to the waist by simply tying a single long cable, so that the urine collection device conforms completely to the organ of urination of the patient and prevents the urine leak.
The above mentioned technologies provide different diapers and urine collection devices, either to avoid leakage or attach properly to the patient's body, channeling the urine to a secondary container or containing itself their own urine container, however none of them is used for taking medical samples on dependent patients. So, the novelty of the present invention lies at this point, the fact of providing a device capable of collecting clean urine samples allowing to be coupled to dependent patients, allowing simultaneously the right collection for subsequent analysis and above all avoiding the disadvantages of sampling of urine in patients in particular, so caregivers or nurses responsible for them can perform this routine practice with less effort and less discomfort for the dependent patient.